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As we come to the final weeks of Art of Solidarity, an exhibition of vibrant Cuban posters from the 1960s and 70s showing solidarity with African liberation movements including the opposition to South African Apartheid and Angola’s fight for independence, we will be taking inspiration from these revolutionary Cuban poster artists to offer visitors the opportunity to participate in events that aim to further explore the capacity of art forms to be a powerful tool of activism and a means to create dialogue.

For the closing weekend of Art of Solidarity, we will be exploring activism through self- publishing, in an artist-led workshop delivered by Manchester based zine-maker Seleena Laverne Daye.

A zine is a small circulation, self- published work, normally produced very cheaply using a photocopier and distributed through friends, fairs or by sale online. A zine can cover any topic from politics, popular culture, film, photography, history, food to perzines (personal zines), which focus on the individual experiences of the writer. Due to the lack of censorship within this medium, zines can also offer their authors an empowering platform to challenge established narratives and share their views with others, arguably forming an important record of social history that may explore viewpoints that are marginalised in mainstream media channels.

“Growing up as a working class woman of colour, I aim, through my art and zines, to create a space for working class people and women of colour. To be able to tell and share their stories in their own voices, as they so often don’t get the chance to.” – Seleena Laverne Daye

“We are delighted to welcome Seleena to International Slavery Museum on Saturday 5th August to discuss the activism within her own zines and art, share some of her favourite zines and explain how to get involved in making and distributing DIY publications. Visitors will also have the chance to begin their own zine projects and make a badge to take away too!

If you are interested in finding out more about zine culture, our closest zine library is Salford Zine Library, a unique archive of self published materials housed at Nexus Art Café in Manchester, where visitors can find over 1500 publications to browse.

Look out for Wednesday’s special blog, from Seleena Laverne Daye , who is running the zine workshop!

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